Garden in the Woods

Garden in the Woods, Native Plant Trust, Massachusetts

  It is middle of the spring,
 so we have decided to visit a native wild plants garden owned by Native Plant Trust.

 To feel the energy of spring with colors, forms, and motifs of these happy plants,
   the lucky ones that happened to be born in this place,
 protected by high wired fence from those who can make their life perilous.

 Not a true nature's habitat,
   but a chance for survival brings out those instincts that make IT true... 

In the Pond

Rock Fire Pond, Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Massachusetts

It is this time of year, the only time in the year,
    when Salamanders leave the darkness of their homes and journey to the ponds to breed.
  The young are skillful swimmers, their supple bodies moving with grace as if born to live in water.

Much as they will live most of their lives under cover in the forest
   their bodies have not forgotten the past. 
    When about 350 million years ago, their ancestors diverged from strictly aquatic animals
   and
    made the first steps onto the land... without looking back...

Today they are equipped to survive on the land with a little help from water.
   And their gigantic genome attests to that,
     being in the range of 14-120 billion base pairs,
    while our human genome has only 3.2 billion base pairs.
  
   So delicate yet so sturdy to live for 20 years, a very long life, in a harsh world... 

On the Hill

Brown Hill, Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Massachusetts

This is a rolling land with rocky hills but very few peaks.
  So these peaks are popular for all those who wish to reach the top... a lot of us...
    which makes them pretty busy places we tend to avoid and

   enjoy the hills instead... 

Accidental Flowers

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Those humble violets, the charms by chance of imperfect gardens that wish to be wild...